Modeling the barotropic response of the global ocean to atmospheric wind and pressure forcing ‐ comparisons with observations

A global simulation of the ocean response to atmospheric wind and pressure forcing has been run during the Topex/Poseidon (T/P) period (1992–2002), using a new hydrodynamic finite element (FE) model, MOG2D‐G. Model outputs are compared to in situ observations with tide gauge data (TG) and bottom pressure gauge data (BPR), and also with T/P altimetric cross over points (noted CO). Intercomparisons were performed over the 1993–1999 period. The model correction reduces the sea level variance by more than 50% at TG locations, and by more than 15% at T/P CO, when compared to the classical inverse barometer correction (IB). The model impact differs between high and low latitudes: in the very energetic high latitudes…